刚在别人博客上看到这篇我最爱的童话作者的自述，赶紧存下来，要好好看看。
Astrid Lindgren Talks About Herself
阿斯特丽德·林格伦自述
Let's begin with my life, because you usually ask about it. We'll take it from the beginning - in November 1907 when I was born in an old red house surrounded by apple trees. I was child number two to the farmer Samuel August Ericsson and his wife Hanna, née Jonsson. The farm where we lived was called Näs. It still is. It is near a small town in Småland called Vimmerby. Näs has been a rectory since 1411 and still is, although my father was not a priest. He leased Näs, like his father, and now his son does the same.
让我先从我的人生说起，你们通常都会问到它。我们从最初说起——1907年11月，我在一座被苹果树环绕的红色老房子里诞生。我是农场主Samuel August Ericsson和他妻子Hanna的第二个孩子。我们的农庄名叫Näs，直到现在还是这个名字。毗邻这个农庄的是一个隶属Småland省的小城镇Vimmerby。从1941年至今，教区长一直住在Näs，虽然我的父亲不是牧师。父亲把Näs租借出去，像之前他父亲那样，而现在他的儿子也是这样做。
Two more children were born in that red house, which, as I have said was a rectory and was later leased out. All in all, there were four of us children: Gunner, Astrid, Stain and Ignored. We enjoyed a happy life at Näs, more or less like the children in the Bullerby books. We went to school in Vimmerby. It was so close that it took us only a quarter of an hour to get there. But just like the Bullerby children, we eventually grew up and it was time to see the world. I went to Stockholm, where I trained as a secretary, worked in an office, got married, and had two children. They were called Lars and Karin and they wanted me to tell them stories. So I did. But at that stage I did not write any books. I thought about it but decided not to. Most people never make a conscious decision about whether or not to write books but I did.
在这个被租借出去的居住着教区长的农庄，还有两个孩子陆续在这座红色房子里降生。这样，这个家就有了四个孩子：Gunner、Astrid、Stain和Ignored。我们在Näs生活得非常愉快，多少有点像我所写的吵闹村的孩子那样。我们在Vimmerby的学校就读。学校很近，我们只需用15分钟就能到达。但也像吵闹村的孩子那样，我们渐渐长大，踏入社会。我后来去了斯德哥尔摩，在那里我接受职业培训，成为了一个秘书，随后结婚，有了两个孩子：Lars和Karin。在孩子们的要求下，我经常为他们讲故事。但那时候，我还没有写任何书。我考虑过写书，但我考虑再三还是决定不写。我想大部分人都不曾在是否写书这个问题上有意识地作出过决定，但我确实有过。
At school they used to say: "You are bound to be a writer when you grow up" and at one occasion they teased me by calling me "Vimmerby's Selma Lagerlöf" [a well-known Swedish Nobel Prize-winning author]. I think remarks of this kind scared me a bit. So, although I thought it might be quite fun to be a writer, I didn't dare to write anything. But this is a question which is always cropping up - how did you become a writer? So although I've told the story many times, I'll tell you how it all came about.
到了上学的阶段，两个孩子总是对我说：“你将来注定是个作家”，有时候，他们开玩笑地称呼我为“Vimmerby的Selma Lagerlöf（瑞典一个著名的诺贝尔文学奖得主）”。孩子们这类称赞有点吓着了我。因此，虽然我那时想，做一个作家或许很有趣，但我还是不敢写任何东西。我经常被问到这个问题——你是怎样成为一个作家的？虽然对我怎样成了作家的故事，我已经讲过许多回，我还是想在这里再细细跟你们讲述一遍。
In 1941 my seven-year-old daughter was in bed with pneumonia. Every night, when I sat by her bed, she nagged me the way children do: "Please, mummy, tell me a story". And one evening, although I was quite exhausted, I asked her: "What shall I talk about?" So she answered: "Tell me about Pippi Longstocking". She made up the name in that very instant. I did not ask her who Pippi Longstocking was. I just started to tell her a story and because Pippi's name was so strange, she developed into a strange girl. Right from the beginning Karin, and later her friends, showed a remarkable affection for Pippi. I had to tell the stories over and over again and this continued for many years.
1941年我七岁的女儿得了肺炎的时候卧病在床，每天晚上我守候在她床边，她都提同一个要求：行行好，妈妈，给我讲一个故事吧！一个晚上，虽然我相当累了，我还是问她，“我讲什么呢？”，她答道，“讲长袜子皮皮。”她随即就编出了这么一个名字。我没有问她谁是长袜子皮皮。我开始给她讲长袜子皮皮的故事，因为“皮皮”这个名字这么奇特，主人公自然也成了一个奇特的姑娘。从一开始Karin就非常喜欢故事里的皮皮，后来她的朋友也爱上了这个奇特的姑娘。在往后数年里，我不得不一次又一次地为他们重述这个故事。
One a snowy evening in March 1944 I was walking beside Vasa Park in central Stockholm; the pavements were icy and covered with fresh snow. I fell and hurt my foot quite badly and had to stay in bed for a while. To pass the time I decided to write down all the Pippi stories in shorthand. I'd been skilful stenographer ever since my days as a secretary and to this day this is how I still write the first draft of all my books.
在1944年3月一个白雪茫茫的夜晚，我沿着斯德哥尔摩市中心的Vasa Park步行，路面覆盖着冰，加上新下的雪，我滑倒了，脚伤得不轻，不得不躺在床上一段时间。为了度过病床上难熬的时间，我决定用速记的方式把皮皮的故事写下来。从做秘书起我一直是一个优秀的速记员，直到今天，我所写的所有故事的第一稿都是用速记的方式写的。
In May 1944 Karin was about to celebrate her 10th birthday. An idea came to me - I would write out the stories properly and give her the manuscript as a birthday present. Later I decided to send a copy to a publisher. I didn't think for a moment they'd publish it, but so what! At times I was quite shocked by Pippi's behaviour, and I remember ending my letter to the publisher like this: "I'm sending you this manuscript in the hope that you will not call in the social services." Yes, I did have two children, and how would they turn out with a mother who wrote such books like this?
1944年5月Karin10周岁生日来临之前，我突然有了一个主意——我要把皮皮的故事完整地写下来，把手稿作为生日礼物送给她。后来，我决定把故事的手稿副本寄给一个出版商。我一点没有期望他们会真的出版，但这又有什么关系呢！有时连我自己都会被皮皮的所为震惊，我还记得在寄给那个出版商的信中我最后这样写道：“我寄给您这个手稿，希望您不会为此打电话给社工。”是的，我确实有两个孩子，但他们怎么会有一个居然写出这种书的妈妈？
As I expected the manuscript was returned to me, but while I was waiting for it, I was already busy writing a second book. I was discovering how much I enjoyed this craft of writing. The second book, "Britt-Mari Lightens her Heart" was written for girls. In 1944, the Rabén & Sjögren publishing house organised a competition for girls' books. And something remarkable happened - I came second! I don't think that I have never been happier than I was that late afternoon in the autumn of 1944 when I received the news that I had won a prize. The following year the same publishers arranged a competition for children's books. So I entered the Pippi manuscript, somewhat revised, and this time won first prize.
我等待原稿被退回来，但在等待的同时，我已经着手在写我的第二本书，我在发现并享受着这种写作带给我的乐趣。《布丽特—马利亚心情舒畅了》是写给女孩子的。在1944年，Rabén & Sjögren出版社组织了一个写给女孩子的书的创作比赛。结果非常让我吃惊——我得了第二名！我还清楚记得1944年秋天的那个黄昏当我接到自己获奖的消息时欣喜若狂的情形。第二年这个出版社还组织了另一个儿童文学的创作比赛。我把皮皮的原稿稍作修改拿去参赛，这次我得了一等奖。
From then on things kept happening. Pippi became a success, although some people were shocked about the book, believing that all the children who read the books would behave like Pippi. "No normal child devours a whole birthday cake at a party", wrote one indignant observer. And it was true. But then, no normal child would lift a horse with a stretched arm either. However, if a child can lift a horse, she'd probably be able to eat a whole cake as well!
从此事情一发不可收拾。皮皮成了我的成名作，虽然有些人为书中的内容感到惊愕，并相信所有读过这本书的孩子都会摹仿皮皮的所作所为，“一个正常的孩子不可能在一个宴会中吞下一整个生日蛋糕”，一个愤慨的批评家这样写道。这的确是事实。同样，正常的孩子也不可能用一只手臂举起一匹马。但是，如果一个孩子能够一手举起一匹马，她就完全有可能一口气吞掉一整个蛋糕啊！
In 1946 Rabén & Sjögren organised a new competition for teenage detective novels. I entered with a book called "Master Detective Blomkvist" and managed to share first prize. And that was the last time I took part in any competitions. But of course I continued to write. There were almost 40 books as well as a number of picture books, as well as some plays and songs. I have also written several radio and television serials. During the period 1946-1970 I was in charge of the children's book section at Rabén & Sjögren.
1946年，Rabén & Sjögren出版社又组织了一次专门以少年为目标读者的侦探小说创作比赛。我把《大侦探布鲁姆克维斯特》拿去参赛，最终获得一等奖。这是我最后一次参赛。当然，我还是继续写作。至今我一共写了差不多40本书，包括一些图画书，还有一些戏剧剧本以及歌曲。我还写了一些电台和电视连续剧。在1946到1970年间，我担任了Rabén & Sjögren出版社的儿童部主编。
I have been a widow since 1952. My two children both married, but my son died during the summer of 1986. I have seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, Yes, all that sort of information you usually like to know about.
1952年我成了一名寡妇，至今。我的两个孩子都成了家，但我的儿子在1986年夏天去世了。我现在有7个孙子和8个曾孙子，是的，这类事情你们通常都有兴趣知道。
You ask me about prizes and honours, so here is a list of the most important and the order in which I received them. On this page you'll find the number of languages my books have been translated into. I ought to tell you that not all my books have been translated into the various languages that are listed, but between them one or other of them have all appeared in all the languages shown.
你问我关于我所获得的奖项和荣誉的问题，因此我按时间顺序列出了其中最重要的奖项。在这一页你们会看到我的作品曾被翻译的所有语言列表。我想在这里指出不是我每本作品都有下列的各种语言译本，但下列的每种语言都至少有一个我作品的译本。
Some of your questions can be answered quite easily. But some of them are more difficult than others, such as: What are you trying to say with your books? What concepts are you trying to explore with Pippi Longstocking? How can one influence and educate children through children's books? What should a good children's book contain? And so on. To all this I would only answer as follows: I have not tried to explain anything with Pippi or any other book. I am writing in order to amuse the child within myself and I hope that by doing so other children will have some fun too. As to what a good children's book should be like, I don't have an answer. I try to be "true" from an artistic point of view when I write, that's the only guiding rule that I have. Somebody asked me: "Why don't you ever write a book what it is like to be a child with divorced parents in Farsta?" [a district in the south of Stockholm]. On that subject I will just say: I can only write about what I know. I don't know what it is like to grow up in Farsta with divorced parents. But there is probably a child walking around right now who will write about it one day.
解答你们对我提出的一些问题很容易，但其中有一些却没那么容易回答，例如：你想通过你的书告诉我们什么？你通过《长袜子皮皮》这个故事想表达什么理念？怎样才能用这些给孩子看的书影响和教育孩子？一本好的写给孩子看的书应该是怎么样的？等等。对上述的所有问题我只能回答如下：我并没有试图通过皮皮或任何一个我写的故事阐明一些什么道理，我写这些故事只是希望它们能使我身边的孩子得到快乐，也希望其他孩子通过阅读它们同样能得到快乐。至于一本好的写给孩子看的书应该是怎么样的，我没有答案。我写作的时候只希望尽量从艺术的角度做到“真”，这是我对写作的惟一规准。有人问我：“你为什么不写一本关于一个住在Farsta（斯德哥尔摩南部地区）的离异家庭的孩子的书？”我想这样回答：我只能写我所知道的事情。我不知道住在Farsta的离异家庭的孩子的成长经历。但可能现正在某个地方溜达的某个孩子某天会写一个这样的故事。
For my part I know exactly how it is - or rather how it was - to be a country child in Småland, growing up in a small town. Most of my stories are written in one of these settings. The Bullerby children, Emil in Lönneberga, Rasmus and the Sunnanäng children all live right in the heart of the countryside. Pippi Longstocking, Master Detective Blomkvist, the children in Troublemaker Street and Madicken all live in small towns. It was only after spending 30 summers in the Stockholm archipelago that I first dared to set a book there, Vi på Saltkråkan, in which Karlsson on the Roof flies around Vasastan in central Stockholm. I know that miljoeronment well after living there for 60 years. Well, what about Mio my Mio, the Lionheart Brothers and Ronja? Do I know more about what it's like in the Distant Land , Nangijala and the Mattis Forest, than I know about living in Farsta? Answer: Yes, I do. But I am not going to tell you how I know.
我只知道Småland的乡村孩子，更确切地说是过去Småland的乡村孩子们是怎么样在一个小城镇里长大的。我写的大多数故事都在这个城镇的某个场景发生。吵闹村的孩子、伦纳贝尔的埃米尔、Rasmus以及Sunnanäng的孩子都住在乡下。长袜子皮皮、大侦探布鲁姆克维斯特、捣乱街的孩子和玛迪根都住在小城镇里。在斯德哥尔摩群岛住了30年后，我才敢写第一本有关它的书——位于斯德哥尔摩中心区Vasastan 附近的Vi på Saltkråkan，在屋顶飞翔的卡尔松。住了60年，我才了解什么是miljoeronment（注：无法查到这个词的意思，有可能是某个地名或作家手误或编排错漏）。那么，《米欧，我的米欧》、《狮心兄弟》和《绿林女儿》又是怎么回事呢？难道我对遥远之国、南极亚拉和马提斯森林的了解比对Farsta的了解更多吗？答案：是的，但我不告诉你我是怎样了解的。
Are you inspired by your own children or your grandchildren? I am asked this question a lot and my answer is that there is no child that inspires me more than the child I once was. It is not necessary to have your own children in order to write children's books. The only condition is that one was once a child oneself - and then try to remember what it was like.
你的孩子或孙子有没有激起过你的灵感？经常有人问我这个问题，我的回答是：没有任何孩子比我自己曾经是的那个孩子更能激起我的灵感。并不需要有自己的孩子才能写出一本给孩子看的好书。你自己曾经是一个孩子，这是惟一的先决条件，然后你要做的就是尝试回忆你当时是怎么样的。
Finally, I don't consciously set out to educate or influence the children who read my books. The only thing I dare hope for is that my books may perhaps encourage a more human, life-enhancing and democratic outlook among my readers. But books that set out to be nothing more than a reading experience must be allowed to exist. I was once handed a note by a stranger which read: "Thank you for bringing some glitter into my gloomy childhood." That's enough for me. If I have been able to bring some sunshine into a single child's life, then I am satisfied.
最后我想说明，我无意通过我的书教化小孩子。我胆敢有的惟一的希冀就是希望我的书能鼓励一种更具人性、更能提升生命价值和更民主的态度。但如果一本书写来仅仅为了读着好玩也是应该允许存在的。有一次一个陌生人递给我一张纸条，上面写着：“谢谢你把光亮带进我灰暗的童年。”这对我来说已经足够了。如果我能够给一个小孩子的生命带来一丝阳光，我就已经感到满足了。
林格伦网站：
Astrid Lindgren's world
Astrid Lindgren Movies
Astrid Lindgren News Group
Fun of Lindgren 's website
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